Driver slams ‘appalling’ £1,800 fine for overtaking cyclist too closely

A driver has hit out at an ‘absolutely appalling’ fine after he made to pay out over £1,800 for closely overtaking a cyclist.

Wayne Humphreys, seventy-seven, had to fork out £1,887 and was given four points on his license after footage showed him narrowly overtaking a cyclist in his Audi Q8 in Bridgend, South Wales, in September last year.

The cyclist captured the incident on a GoPro camera, and later reported Humphreys to roads policing teams.

The warehouse boss was contacted by officials and offered a course as an alternative to prosecution for driving without due care and attention. 

GoSafe Wales

However, he failed to accept the course and later failed to comply with a fixed penalty notice, resulting in him appearing in Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on June 8th this year.

There, Humphries was found guilty of driving without due care and attention and received four penalty points on his licence as well as a £1,152 fine. He was also ordered to pay £620 costs to the CPS and a £115 victim surcharge.

The driver has continued to maintain his innocence, however, and slammed the decision as ‘absolutely appalling’.

He said, as per ITV News: “I think the fine is absolutely appalling. I am seventy-seven years of age and the last fine I had was thirty-five to forty years ago for doing 34 miles per hour in a 30 zone… Other than that I have never had a fine and I have had a licence for sixty years.”

Humphreys said he and his son measured the road in Bridgend, and estimated the gap he left for the cyclist was sufficient and safe.

He said: “Taking into account the cyclist and his bike there would have still been at least four foot space.

“I find it absolutely incredible this has happened. I don’t know whether to appeal it or not. It will probably just cost me more money.

“This has already cost me about £4,500 with the money for the court and the solicitor. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

A GoSafe spokesperson said: “The driver, Wayne Humphreys, from Pontyclun, was contacted and offered a course.

“The ‘What’s Driving Us’ course is offered to drivers and riders as an alternative to prosecution for the offence of driving without due care and attention. Mr. Humphreys failed to accept this course and later failed to comply with a fixed penalty notice.

“GoSafe regularly receives similar submissions through Op Snap and has worked closely with drivers and cycling groups to develop Operation Close Pass, which looks to educate both drivers and cyclists on how to stay safe on our roads.

“If you have information on close pass incident or other possible road traffic offence, you can submit the details, along with supporting footage, to GoSafe using Operation SNAP.”